One hundred and fifty ‘Dubai Data Champions' have been appointed by 22 government entities to ensure their organisations adopt the Dubai Data Law.

The Data Champions will work with Dubai Data Establishment, the leader of Dubai's Data Initiative, to enable their organisations to prepare and share open government data as part of the initiative.

The Data Champions were announced at an event in Dubai. Speaking at the event, Younus Al Nasser, Assistant Director General of the Smart Dubai Office and CEO of the Dubai Data Establishment, said, "We are guided by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who launched the world's most ambitious and comprehensive data initiative through the Dubai Data Law, with a mandate to unleash the greatest value from city data that will improve experiences and opportunities in Dubai.

"Data is at the heart of our smart transformation. Dubai will be the first city to lead both the opening and sharing of city data, to achieve the four pillars of Smart Dubai, delivering more efficient, seamless, safe and impactful city experiences."

The Data Champions are drawn from 22 government departments who have worked closely with Dubai Data Establishment to develop the framework and policy of the Dubai Data Law. The first open data sets are due to be shared early next year, according to DDE.

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"Open city data published on the Dubai Data Portal will enable entrepreneurs, data scientists, government departments and private entities to evaluate rich city data and unlock insights that can be used to design new and impactful city services; improve processes; and drive innovation. Shared data between government entities will increase efficiency and enable more seamless service experiences for users, benefitting from secure central data registries of the most valuable city data," Younus Al Nasser added.

"Dubai Data is a citywide effort to unlock the most insightful and impactful data for city leaders, business owners, residents and tourists in Dubai. The Dubai Data Champions are critical partners for delivering the mandate of Dubai Data, and realizing the benefits of data in their organizations, and for the city," he said.

The Dubai Data Champions are a closed community of government data peers who will lead the implementation the Dubai Data initiative through their respective entities. Dubai Data Champions have been appointed to represent their entity on all matters related to Dubai Data, including: data inventory, data compliance, and data-driven decision making.

All Dubai Data Champions will participate in a rigorous Dubai Data Compliance training program, hosted in partnership with the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government, the education partner of Dubai Data, in January. The six week course will equip the Dubai Data Champions with the tools required to lead the identification and inventory of entity data, and to prioritize and classify that data for inclusion on the Smart Dubai Platform within six months.